photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

James Henry Schuyler

A Lawrence man pleaded no contest on Wednesday in Douglas County District Court after he was accused of choking a woman at Lone Star Lake.

The man, James Henry Schuyler, 36, was charged with one felony count of aggravated domestic battery, one misdemeanor count of domestic battery and one felony count of criminal threat, according to charging documents. He pleaded no contest to one count of aggravated domestic battery on Wednesday.

The charges relate to an incident around 10:45 p.m. on June 11, when Douglas County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a woman yelling for help at a campsite at Lone Star Lake. Schuyler was alleged to have choked and battered a woman and to have threatened a sheriff’s deputy at the scene.

Assistant District Attorney Samantha Foster said that if the case had gone to trial the state would have presented evidence to show that the woman told the deputies that she and Schuyler had been dating for about a month and that Schuyler had been drinking that night. The woman said a dispute resulted in Schuyler trying to strangle her. Schuyler was booked into the Douglas County Jail shortly after midnight and was held on a $6,000 cash or surety bond.

As part of Schuyler’s plea agreement, the misdemeanor battery charge and the felony criminal threat charge were dismissed. Schuyler was represented by defense attorney Phil Crawford. Judge Sally Pokorny scheduled Schuyler’s sentencing for Nov. 30. Pokorny said Schuyler faced 11 to 34 months in prison depending on his criminal record.

Schuyler has prior felony convictions for conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery in Geary County in 2010 and multiple felony counts of distribution of opiates or narcotics in Riley County in 2016, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records.